A fueling system includes pumps rotated by electric motors to pump fuel from a reservoir and dispense it through a nozzle. Some fueling systems are utilized in large cities with dense populations. These systems may comprise multiple dispensers and may rely on a stable power grid to power the motors and the dispensers. Often these systems are operated in “gas stations” that include restaurant facilities or kiosks where customers purchase food and novelty items such as medicaments, magazines and vehicle monitoring, repair and maintenance items. The kiosks may be air conditioned and the food items may be frozen. Thus, the energy requirements of these gas stations include energy for lighting and cooling in addition to fuel dispensing, and may include additional energy requirements due to services such as an air compressor station to inflate tires, water heating for shower services offered at truck stations, for example, and in connection with any other electric energy consuming device.
Fueling systems are also utilized in locations where population densities are sparse or where the power grid is not reliable. Gas stations in these locations may operate fuel powered electric generators to power the fueling systems and electric energy consuming devices when the power grid does not provide enough energy, e.g. during black-outs and brown-outs. In some countries, black-outs may last several hours during each day. Gas stations in these locations may also use solar systems including panels, inverters and batteries to supplement the energy supply and reduce reliance on fuel powered electric generators, for economic and environmental reasons. These solar systems typically produce alternating-current power by inverting the direct-current power produced by the solar panels, thus easily mating the solar system with the generator and the power grid via known power source switching systems. However, the lack of a stable electrical energy source can damage motor drives and reduce the life of the motor drives and the electric motors due to sudden and often frequent on and off switching of the electric power.
While known solar systems provide economic and environmental benefits, there is a need for fueling systems that improve the effectiveness of the known solar systems to capture and use more solar energy and use less of environmentally unfriendly energy sources, and also to provide a stable energy supply to extend the life of motor drives and electric motors driving the fuel pumps.